The Art & Science of Detoxification – Part 4: digestion
Learning the art and science of detoxification is key to supporting to your EBV healing journey. In my case, I usually experience the viral flareup after heavily stressful life events (such a grieving loved ones and dealing without childcare during a pandemic in my most recent experience). While my body fights the higher viral load, my physical pathways get bogged up and the viral die-off seems to recirculate and make everything worse. Now that I’ve been through the pattern many times, I notice this is usually the starts of fatigue and brain fog and double-down on detoxing routines to get things moving and prevent a bigger crash.
While I’m not a medical professional, I’m here to share what I’ve learned about the pathways of detoxification and how you can apply rituals in your life. When fighting Epstein-Barr or any other pathogen, it’s important to give your body the support it needs to flush the garbage out. The six key detoxifying pathways are: Skin, Lungs, Kidneys, Digestion, Lymphatic and Liver. These systems work together to rid your body of toxins your skin, breath, stool and urine.
Please, I beg of you, don’t go googling any wild and crazy fad cleanses. Especially you have chronic illness, these kinds of cleanses can be extremely dangerous. It’s important to take small and steady steps forward, being kind and gentle to yourself. You don’t need drastic or expensive measures to make a big difference.
Where to Start:
I encourage you to start with Part 1 of this detox series - the Skin. Next up, let’s talk about our digestion! Yes, it’s time to cover those oh-so-sexy bodily functions including digestion, indigestion, gas and bowel movements. Here are my best Digestion Detoxing tips:
Bowel Movements – You’ve gotta keep things moving every single day. At least once a day. If you find your system moving more slowly, you probably need a magnesium supplement (ask your doctor). This is an inexpensive and easy to digest supplement that I take each evening and as a bonus it helps me sleep and reduces muscle spasms and cramping. (Note: most people that take this are still taking too little. Make sure you read the pills per dosage directions and speak to your doctor about find your sweet spot dosage.)
Get Your Gut Biome On Track - This has been a lifelong pursuit for me. I struggle with keeping my biome in a healthy place and it requires attention to my diet and a daily prebiotic and probiotic. I have struggled with Celiac, Candida, dangerous Bacterial overgrowth and other generalized leaky gut. I’m currently LOVING how I’m feeling since switching to Seed a couple of months ago and noticed an immediate improvement in bloating, digestion pain and sugar cravings. NOTE: If you have EBV and have not dealt with underlying gut issues, you are going to have a really uphill battle fighting the virus. Find yourself a supportive naturopath or functional doctor to get the right tests done. Be prepared to do a blood and stool test or two to get to the (a’hem) bottom of things. EBV is known to turn on genes for Celiac and create other issues like SIBO and GERD.
Cut the Gluten, Sugar, Dairy and Eggs - This can feel like A LOT…let’s break this down. Gluten, dairy and sugar are all inflammatory foods. Before even starting to fight EBV, your immune system is going to be distracted with handling these foods. As I shared above, EBV is a common trigger for leaky gut, Celiac and other digestive issues - and Gluten, Dairy and Sugar are common irritants for these issues. Similarly, Egg allergies are very common (and often undiagnosed) in chronic EBV patients. Further, many functional nutritionists believe that the proteins in Eggs are a favored “fuel” for the virus. While the mechanism is unknown, the clinical experiences are too numerous to ignore. In my case, in addition to the Celiac markers in my blood, my allergen panels shows I’m reactive to cane sugar, all forms of animal dairy and eggs. I avoid them like the plague. Cheating only cheats me out of quality of life.
Avoiding Mycotoxins - The root word of “myco” is Greek for “fungus” - yeast, mushrooms and hidden molds are all areas of your diet that could be questionable. If you struggle with Candida, then dig in even deeper here. Common mycotoxins show up in yeasted bread, beer and wine, kombucha, coffee (beans), and molded foods (especially common on grains, fruits and nuts). For most, you don’t have to obsessively cut these all out, just start to be more conscious of what you are consuming and how it is making you feel (often 24-48 hours later). Even better, swap your favorites, especially things you eat daily, to healthier options - sourdough breads, natural wines, clean coffee, etc.
Fermented Foods - These are basically natural probiotics. They key here is to find a source that doesn’t also include the mycotoxins above. Kombucha is thought to be healthy by many, but it in fact has more toxic yeasts than it does beneficial bacteria. If you love kombucha, think of it as a treat, not a supplement or health food.
Eat Organic - While this is mostly in support of your liver, pesticides like glyphosphate play a number on your gut first. Cut the crap by not ingesting it in the first place.
Hydrate - While this shows up in other pathways (such as skin and kidneys), it’s really important for digestion too. Nail down your water intake through herbal teas
I’d love to hear about your experiences and questions. How do you supportive your digestive detoxifying system?
